Speeding ticket screwup: Nearly 1,500 tickets thrown out due to bureaucratic bungle
(CBS) BALTIMORE COUNTY, Md. - Nearly 1,500 speeding tickets given motorists in Baltimore County were voided due to a bureaucratic glitch.
The tickets came from roadway cameras that had not been properly certified, CBS Baltimore reported.
County leaders say the camera vendor, Xerox, missed a certification deadline related to calibrating the cameras. The station says the problem goes back to early in the year.
"As soon as the county learned of this lapse, we immediately and proactively ceased operation of the affected cameras," county spokesperson Ellen Kobler told the station.
Kobler says in all, 12 fixed pole cameras were taken offline for four to five weeks, but the paperwork mistake happened back in February. While the county alerted drivers that had received tickets, the public at-large wasn't notified the system was offline. Kobler says that's because there were no accuracy or public safety issues.
"Baltimore County does not operate every single camera every day and we absolutely do not publicize which cameras are active on any given day," Kobler said.
The station reports that all funds collected from the photo enforcement go toward public safety, and because of the mistake, Xerox paid the county nearly $58,000 in compensation.
In Baltimore City, the cameras' accuracy has been an issue. The entire speed camera system is still shut down, CBS Baltimore reports.